Old Ex Hippies Reduced to Celtic Music

Our dulcimer player just graduated with her third degree, this time a Masters of Library Science (she was an entertainment lawyer, and quit because it disgusted her to be mediating between wealthy assholes who were too stupid to be rich). To celebrate her achievement, she invited all of her musical cronies (she plays with our quartet, a duo with another dulcimer player - who was also there today - and a quintet that also does traditional music) to her house for a party and jam. Well, the quintet didn't show, but we had all played with the other dulcimer player before, so we just had a jolly old time together.

After the first set, we all took a break, and chatted and had a snack. I remarked that, "If this was 25 years ago, we'd all be standing here smoking joints instead of eating carrots and talking about baguettes." Sigh.

I have a 28 meg Quicktime clip stashed in my webspace of us playing "Road to Lisdoonvarna" for anyone who is interested in what happens to you when you get old and still want to play music.

The top pic is Kathy, the guitar-pickin', dulcimer hammerin', melodica-chuffing law librarian. The guy with the bulging middle, thinning hair and expensive guitar is me.

When you said she had gotten her Third Degree, I did not immediately think Masters.

Thank you for clarifying.

If that's a reduction you guys must have been pretty impressive back in the day. :thumb:

You know many very cool people.

I would love to do stuff like that.

wolf wrote:

When you said she had gotten her Third Degree, I did not immediately think Masters.

Thank you for clarifying.

That's why I clarified... :lol:

We do have a lot of fun. We're going to play for a neighborhood festival in September. Please tell me it will cool down by then.

Elspode wrote:

That's why I clarified... :lol:

We do have a lot of fun. We're going to play for a neighborhood festival in September. Please tell me it will cool down by then.

Wow! Nice sound clip, Patrick! You guys are good! And your friend just got her MLS? Librarians rock! (and play pretty good dulcimer, too).

OK, it will cool down by then. ;)

Very nice clip. It sounds better than some groups I've heard lately.

Elspode wrote:

We do have a lot of fun. We're going to play for a neighborhood festival in September. Please tell me it will cool down by then.

It will cool down, but buy one of those mist thingies anyway.

Excellent, Sir. Thank you. :beer:
Maybe they stuck to "eating carrots and talking about baguettes" to keep the male in line. :biggrin:

I had been meaning to listen to this when I had time, and totally forgot until it came up in another thread recently. This is very good. Nothing funner than getting a few people in a circle and making music. You should play out more often, you sound good together.

You should hear the recordings. :thumb:

Wow, Els. Very nice music.

Thanks for all the nice comments. We do work pretty hard at it. While we largely do it for fun, we have all played out for most of our adult lives in various configurations at various times. Heck, one year I even made enough money playing as a duo with myself and Lane (my primary musical collaborator - the lady playing the black plastic D whistle in the video...she is also a fine harpist) to pay for the guitars and stuff I bought.

Christmas used to be a pretty good money-maker for us. For about three years in a row, we had several bookings in various venues, including a couple of private parties in large, rich homes, playing an interesting mix of standards (Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, etc) and less familiar ancient traditional stuff (Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day, The Friendly Beasts, Christ Child's Lullabye). The ladies are all very fine vocalists, and sometimes they even let me sing, too.

I have CDs ready to mail for those who asked for them. I just have to get to the post office.